Haddadin/Democrat photo
A scoreboard-style national debt counter serves as part of the backdrop for a stump speech by Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan at the McConnell Community Center in Dover on Tuesday, Sept. 18.

DOVER – Hundreds are gathered at the McConnell Community Center in Dover awaiting a stump speech by Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan.

Ryan is making his third trip to New Hampshire since joining the Romney ticket. The Wisconsin congressman is expected to speak at a town hall-style event in Dover shortly after 11 a.m.

A score board-style national debt counter was part of the backdrop for Tuesday's event, which is one of at least two campaign stops on the itinerary for Ryan today.

Ryan made his first campaign appearance in the Granite State shortly after being announced as GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney's choice for vice president. Ryan joined Romney at a rally in Manchester last month, then campaigned once again in the city on his own a few days later.

Ryan's visit came less than 24 hours after a stop in New Hampshire by U.S. Sen. John McCain. On Monday, the Arizona Republican and former presidential nominee also held a town hall-style event at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 168, located at 238 Deer St. in Portsmouth.

The region has seen a surge in politicking from both sides of the presidential race during the last several weeks. In addition to appearances by Ryan and Romney, who recently visited Nashua, the campaign organized a speech by Ann Romney in Stratham, and Romney's eldest son, Tagg, was also recently in Milford to March in the Labor Day parade, according to a report from the Nashua Telegraph.At 42, Ryan is the same age as Romney's eldest son Tagg. He serves as the chairman of the House Budget Committee, and is best known on the national stage as the architect of a Republican budget aimed at controlling the deficit and reducing spending.

While the Ryan budget has garnered wide support from GOP legislators, Obama's campaign has hammered Romney for selecting Ryan as his running mate, highlighting reforms in the budget that would reshape the Medicare program.

A new poll says the race for president remains tight in New Hampshire, but the amount of undecided voters is on the rise.

The WMUR Granite State Poll released Thursday shows 45 percent of likely voters plan to support Obama, 40 percent say they will vote for Romney, and 3 percent say they support another candidate.The percentage of those who are undecided jumped to 12 percent from 4 percent in August.